BOOM Esports have become the first Indonesian team to qualify for an international Valorant LAN, after their triumphant 3-1 victory over regional rivals ONIC Esports in the VCT APAC Last Chance Qualifier on August 7.
Their win secures them a spot at Valorant Champions in September, the biggest tournament of the year and the culmination of the entire VCT 2022 season.
They will join fellow APAC representatives Paper Rex and XERXIA Esports in Istanbul, where they will finally have a chance to make their mark on the international stage.
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BOOM Esports triumph in VCT APAC LCQ
BOOM came into the APAC LCQ as the underdogs. Most of the attention was focused on Bleed eSports and Team Secret, both of whom were considered favorites to take the entire tournament.
However, BOOM came from behind to complete a perfect undefeated run, taking down the likes of Bleed and Hong Kong’s Griffin E-Sports along the way.
BOOM also found revenge twice against ONIC, after falling to them in the VCT APAC Stage 2 Challengers playoffs.
Persija Esports star Fikri “famouz” Zaki has been a key difference-maker for the team, coming into the LCQ as a stand-in following the departure of Rafi “frostmind” Diandra. He has been one of the team’s most consistent players in the LCQ, showcasing a high level of play on a wide variety of agents including Raze, Sova, Chamber, and KAY/O.
In the APAC LCQ, he ranked third on the leaderboard with a 1.24 K/D, behind only Bleed’s Derrick “Deryeon” Yee and Jorell “Retla” Teo.
The best-of-five grand final against ONIC was hotly contested — not a single map ended with a differential of more than three rounds.
On the final map, Icebox, ONIC ran ahead to an 8-4 lead on their attacking half. However, BOOM soon rallied on their turn to attack, clawing their way to an 11-9 advantage. ONIC were only able to find three rounds on defense, before BOOM took the map 13-11.
Valorant Champions will run from September 2 to 18 in Istanbul, Turkey.
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